THE 11-man crew of the Yapese outrigger canoe Simion Hokulea is back home, reaching Kolonia after spending nearly three weeks in Palau.
Frank Cruz, president of Traditions About Seafaring Islands, said he received word that the crew, which includes master navigator Ali Haleyalur, sailed from Palau last Wednesday and reached home Monday night.
The canoe departed Guam late last month with another canoe, the Mathow Maram, after spending several days on island to get supplies and repair a broken mast.
The two vessels got separated and the Mathow Maram ended getting home sooner than the Simion Hokulea. The Simion Hokulea, as it turned out, was trying to find the other canoe, but ended up drifting because of weak wind conditions. The crew was found by a fisherman just north of Palau.
“They had to repair the canoe. It ended up taking on water while they were on their way to Palau,” said Cruz.
He added that before the crew departed Palau, they also had to wait for the right weather conditions as well as the right star alignment in order for them to make the journey to Yap. “We’re all very glad they made it safe,” he said.
##
